Family. Friends. Turkey. Dressing. Sweet Potato Casserole. Desserts. Thanksgiving is almost here. With our family gathering together tomorrow, we thought it might be helpful to share a few reminders with you about how to keep your family safe during the holidays. Delicious food should be safe, too!
Tip One: A CLEAN space is the first rule of safe food preparation!
- Wash hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food.
- Wash food-contact surfaces (cutting boards, utensils, bowls, plates) with hot water and soap after preparing each food item.
- Rinse fruits and vegetables under cool water before cooking/eating.
Tip Two: Don’t give bacteria the opportunity to spread. SEPARATE your un-cooked meats from fruits and vegetables that will be eaten raw.
- Keep raw eggs, meat, poultry, seafood and their juices away from foods that won’t be cooked.
- Use one cutting board for foods that will be cooked (meats), and another for those that will not be cooked (raw fruits and veggies).
- Do not put cooked meat or other food items down on a place that is unwashed.
Tip Three: COOK your meats to the proper internal temperatures to kill harmful bacteria.
- Color is not a reliable indicator!
Use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry and fish are cooked to proper temps. See cheat list of cooking temperatures below:
- Turkey/Chicken: 165ºF
- Beef (ground): 160ºF
- Beef (steaks): 145ºF
- Fresh Ham (raw): 145ºF
- Pre-cooked Ham (reheat): 140ºF
- Casseroles that contain eggs: 165ºF
Tip Four: CHILL – Within 2 hours of cooking food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm, leftovers must be refrigerated.
- Don’t forget to put the pumpkin pie in the fridge, too!
- Don’t taste food that looks or smells questionable. When in doubt, throw it out!
- Leftovers should be used within three to four days.
(Source: FDA, Consumer Health Information – www.fda.gov/consumer)
Have a blessed holiday with your family and friends. Safe travels to those on the roads!
Our markets will be open until 6 pm today (Wednesday 11/23) and closed on Thanksgiving Day. Regular hours to resume Friday morning!
Friday Hours:
Alto Farm and Market (Hwy. 365): 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Taste the Difference Family Makes.
Know your Farmer. Know your Food.